Brian Rong never expected his own subordinate to be so useless. A surge of anger welled up inside him—if you beat a dog, you should at least acknowledge its master. This kid hurt his men; did that mean he wasn’t putting Brian Rong in his eyes at all?
So Brian Rong glared at Ian Song and gritted his teeth, saying, "Kid, you dare hurt my people? Do you even know who I am?"
Ian Song replied with a playful smile, "Funny how useless trash always tries to brag about their family or their dad to sound tough. Are you one of those losers?"
"...You...!"
Brian had indeed planned to use the Rong Clan’s name to intimidate, but Ian had already blocked that move. If he brought up his family now, wouldn't he be exactly the kind of trash Ian just described—a laughingstock in everyone’s eyes?
Besides, his cultivation was only at late Foundation Establishment, and even his late-Foundation subordinates couldn’t withstand a single move from Ian. Even with a fifth-grade spirit weapon, he probably still couldn’t beat him.
Thinking this over, he spun on his heel and left, but not before shooting Ian Song a venomous glare.
Once outside the restaurant, Brian Rong was so furious he couldn’t contain himself. He kicked his injured subordinate away and cursed, "Trash! You made me lose so much face!"
All the way back to the Rong estate, Brian just got angrier and angrier. Suddenly he remembered his aunt—she doted on him endlessly and her cultivation had already reached early Golden Core Realm. If she was willing to stand up for him, that kid wouldn’t stand a chance.
Getting more excited the more he thought about it, Brian rushed straight toward a pavilion.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Just as he approached the pavilion, Brian Rong heard a series of clear and melodious zither notes.
The maids guarding the entrance saw Brian coming and didn’t dare block him, letting him pass—everyone knew his aunt doted on him most.
On the third floor of the pavilion, Brian spotted the plump woman seated at her zither.
Brian shook his head to himself. His aunt Rong Xuefei was talented and strong, but unfortunately, she wasn’t much to look at. Nearly a hundred years old and still hadn’t found a Dao companion.
"Brian, what brings you to your aunt’s place today?"
Rong Xuefei stopped playing, looking at Brian with doting affection.
"Aunt Xuefei, someone bullied me! You have to stand up for me!" Brian cried, face full of grievance.
Hearing this, Rong Xuefei frowned. Ever since the Rong Clan attached itself to the Ji Clan, their status in Yuyang Commandery had soared. As the young master of the Rong Clan, who would dare bully Brian?
So she was a bit skeptical. "Who’s so bold they’d dare pick on my Brian?"
Brian Rong’s expression grew even more aggrieved. “Aunt, it’s some bumpkin from out of town. I fell for a girl and we hit it off, but that guy just had to butt in—not only did he injure my men, he totally humiliated me!”
“Oh, so that’s what happened. That’s some nerve!”
“Aunt, will you help me?” Brian’s face lit up with hope.
“You’ve been wronged, so of course your aunt will stand up for you. Lead the way!”
“Thank you, Aunt!”
......
About half a quarter of an hour after Brian left, two more people arrived at the restaurant.
The shopkeeper was startled and hurried forward to greet the middle-aged man leading the way.
“This has nothing to do with you. You may leave.”
Jason Ji waved his hand and headed upstairs, straight for the window-side table.
“Greetings, young master.”
Jason Ji bowed slightly to Ian Song.
Ian Song nodded, “Sit down.”
“Thank you, young master.”
Jason Ji responded respectfully, then sat below Ian, his gaze falling on Wendy Lin. “And this young lady is?”
Ian Song said, “This is Wendy Lin, my friend. I called you here today to ask if the Ji Clan can help search for her cousin, Liam Lin!”
Jason Ji’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly cupped his hands to Wendy Lin, greeting her politely. “Jason Ji greets Miss Lin.”
“No need to be so formal, sir.” Wendy Lin nervously returned the gesture.
The surrounding diners were stunned, staring in disbelief.
“My god, the head of the Ji Clan is being so polite to these two kids—who are they?”
Heh, that playboy from the Rong Clan has met his match. The Rong Clan is just a vassal of the Ji Clan, and anyone the Ji Clan’s patriarch treats with such respect is way out of his league. No wonder that young man’s cultivation is so high—he must have a powerful background!
“Sir, can you really help me find my cousin?” Wendy Lin asked Jason Ji, eyes full of hope.
Jason Ji smiled confidently. “Don’t worry, Miss Lin. As long as your cousin is somewhere in Yuyang Commandery, I can find him. If you could provide his information—or better yet, a portrait—that would help.”
Wendy Lin’s face lit up. “That’s wonderful! My cousin’s name is Liam Lin, he’s eighteen years old, and… Oh! I can draw his portrait for you.”
“Thank you, Miss Lin!” Jason Ji said with a smile.
Just then, a sharp female voice echoed through the restaurant: “Who dares bully a member of the Rong Clan?”
At the sound, all the diners instinctively looked toward Ian Song’s table.
Ian Song glanced at Jason Ji and said calmly, “I hear the Rong Clan is a vassal of your Ji Clan?”
Cold sweat broke out on Jason Ji’s forehead. He wasn’t stupid—he knew the Rong Clan must have clashed with his master. He quickly stood, bowed low, and said, “Please forgive me, young master. After the Ji Clan’s recent losses, we’re short-handed, so I allowed the Rong Clan to get close. I never expected they’d dare offend you. Rest assured, I’ll order the Rong Clan wiped out immediately!”
His eyes flashed with killing intent—the Rong Clan had dared offend his master. Unforgivable. They deserved death!
At that moment, a man and a woman burst onto the second floor.
The man was Brian Rong, back again, and the woman was an overweight lady.
“Brian, who bullied you? Tell your aunt and I’ll make them pay!” the woman said fiercely.
“It was him!” Brian Rong pointed at Ian Song.
Rong Xuefei darted forward and reached for Ian Song’s shoulder.
But just then, a thunderous voice rang out: “Rong Xuefei, how dare you!”
Bang!
Rong Xuefei’s bulky body flew backward. When she saw the middle-aged man who’d struck her, her face turned ashen. “Lord Ji, why is it you?”
“Rong Xuefei, you’ve got a lot of nerve—even daring to offend my honored guest! Is your Rong Clan trying to replace the Ji Clan as master of Yuyang Commandery?” Jason Ji rebuked her harshly.
Thud!
Rong Xuefei nearly fainted from fright and dropped to her knees, trembling. “Lord Ji, I didn’t know this young master was your honored guest. Please punish me as you see fit.”
Brian Rong was left totally dumbfounded.